Music business expands school piano program

Music business lends its instruments for student use

November 20, 2003|BY A SUN STAFF WRITER

Schools in Montgomery County benefited this week from a piano loan program organized and run by an Anne Arundel County-based music business.

Jason's Music Center in Pasadena began its Public School Piano Loan Program in Anne Arundel about five years ago. The program lends new pianos of various sizes and types to public school music departments for one year. The pianos are swapped for newer pianos at the end of the year, and the used instruments are sold by Jason's at discount prices.

Albert Einstein High School was the first of 12 Montgomery County schools to receive a new piano - a grand piano delivered Tuesday.

Steve Cohen, owner of Jason's Music Center, said the program benefits the school systems by giving them flexibility to provide decent pianos for their students by disposing of unusable pianos and redistributing older ones.

School systems initially sign on with the program for three years with an option to renew for another three years. Pianos are swapped at the end of each school year. Anne Arundel County is in its fifth year of participation in the piano loan program.

Since its beginning, the program has lent pianos to public schools in Howard, Prince George's and Harford counties. Jason's has about 80 pianos out on loan to school systems.